𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐑𝐎𝐃 - 𝖗𝖊𝖉𝖉𝖎𝖊 !

༉ ༷◌ ཾ ༹  ༊

clouds stormed up above the town of derry . another normal day, kaspbrak was sure of that already . students, and kids moped around him but all he could do was watch the clock more, seconds ticking by, than the teacher . his nimble fingers fidgeting beneath his desk, and his ankles crossing each other, swinging aimlessly due to his unfortunate height even as a freshman .

soon enough, the droning voice got cut off with the buzz of the bell, and eddie swore he shot up so fast, he got lightheaded . the creak of worn decks, and sneakers padding the floors became all he could hear, even as the teacher tried to scream the homework for tonight as they launch themselves at the door . all of them seeking to crawl out of that hellhole .

eddie was on his toes, practically bouncing to his locker, all other thoughts left behind with even better news than a good grade could be . today would be his first after school dance lesson . kaspbrak fell head over heels for the idea of dancing, and any kind . they would start slow but eddie hoped, and hoped he would be a master of dance before sophomore year .

" eddie ! " his eyes stuck to the inside of his locker blinked back to reality, and looked sheepishly caught off guard to find the friends he had left behind . he had been too high in his thoughts again . bill stood in mild disappointment due to being left behind (yet his stutter could never explain the different levels of disbelief it was clearly) while mike seemed more in a good mood like always. eddie liked the positivity he gave off . " you can't leave us behind like that anymore — these hallways are scary . " mike shook his head .

" yeah , i'm sorry , guys . seriously; i'm just way too excited, and ,, kinda nervous ? anyways; not too great . " eddie cut off his rambling in the midst of it . a habit he had more as a child but he found out people got sick of it undoubtedly . he was still a good olé germaphobe yet only trying to be less picky, he didn't want to seem as if he only wants to hear himself talk .

" w — what's there to be nervous a — about ? " denbrough perked up suddenly that had eddie realize he forget that he was even there . bill was a lot more .. compact since the loss of his brother — him , mike and ben were all devastated for sure and stayed on-the-line just for billiam's sake to get him through . it's been almost three years since then and the poor kid has just ,, faded . sadly, realizing the truth of georgie's death only made it worse but they were always there for him . kaspbrak couldn't recall how many times bill had verbally appreciated them during all that . eddie only wants to be helpful .

" okay , okay ; i know, it sounds stupid but it's rational ! i mean , what if i just piss off my instructor ? what will i be left with ? " meeting new people made eddie especially nervous as he grew up . he became more aware and insecure of who he was and especially with rambling; he wishes deeply the teacher has the patience for him.

" nah , i'm sure they'll love you , eddie ! they're a teacher , you're probably nothing compared to what they deal with . " mike grinned light-heartedly . eddie knows mike only has great intentions but that did not lift his spirits to 100%.

" wow . thanks . "

" eddie . i — i don't think your self-image should keep you away from a good opportunity . seize this and learn away . " bill spoke out once again . he looked so accurate, and confident in what he said , it was almost kind of ,, inspiring ? eddie has noticed how much more planned out his advice would be, and he would be lying if he said he didn't think billiam was a good leader .

" i hate how i didn't see that from a mile away . you have a great point , bill — thanks . but i gotta head off . meetup after at mike's farm ? " he wanted to confirm as his locker shut with a final click and held his finger out as a arrow to get an answer .

" heck yeah ! we'll see you there, kaspbrak ! don't lose yourself now . " mikey shot back, returning the gesture of turning his fingers into a gun . when he's satisfied with the silly answer and billiam's wave , he sets off down the bare hallway and out of the doors towards fresh air — well, not completely , it is derry after all . the darkened, moody sky only shown that as so but eddie kaspbrak's mood was high and uplifted for sure ! the boy hops on his bike after unchaining it from the metal bars and peddling down towards the little dance company he had signed up for ; Glow Lights . the rubber wheels screech against the asphalt , leaving light streaks when eddie came to a stop just to gawk at the outside of the building . he wasn't surprised whenever he saw rundown stores, and building by now — derry wasn't a gifted town but this one property somehow looked nicer than all of them combined . kaspbrak was convinced he hit some kind of jackpot — a professional and patient dance company .

" richie ! you dickwad ! slow the fuck down ! "

eddie staggered , hands clinging to the handles of the 90's rusted bike, throwing his eyes over his shoulder to figure out why such a rowdy teenage girl voice had just scared the shit out of him .

" no can do, ms. ringwald ! i'm beating stan's stupid record ! "

AND there was a boy ? could they be a couple ? their faces were too far away to see but the guy was definitely peddling in eddie's direction . yet like a deer in headlights, he just watched confused and somehow intrigued .

" hey cutie ! you better move ! i don't think i can slow this shit down very fast ! " the boy suddenly called , scaring kaspbrak out of his state and into panic frenzy— trying to figure out how to work a bike again . he didn't know where to move to except for the parking lot up ahead . lots of things were racing through his head , more importantly the nearest hospital is right now . even with frantic peddling with shaky limbs and fingers gripping the brakes too long , the guy's bike had caught up and flung them down from their seats even as he tried to turn around like a fucking idiot .

eddie's body reached aneurism level before it felt the mossy grass beneath him . the air had been knocked out of him as he landed on his stomach and his calves scraped the curb . his mind spun; trying to put itself back together all alone before a muttered voice spoke up,

" sorry 'bout that, man . guess we both forget how to bike . " eddie lifted his face from his imprint in the grass at last and flinched away at a face so close to his . he took the teenager in; comically oversized glasses framed such charming brown eyes , furry brows raised heartedly and plump lips lifting to show a half-grin of pearly whites with a dark mangled mane of hair that fell over his face to have it all come together .

the only thing that could come to mind ?

he's never even seen this guy before .

(my portrayal sucks ikik 😔)